Man on the ark, forced to become king

Yelena cared a lot about that cloak, and even in battle, she would always spare some effort to protect it carefully.

As for the reason... Talulah knew it very well.

That cloak, which was not fancy and could even be described as rough, was made by the Yetis and given to Yelena. On that thin layer of cloth lay too many things, enough to transform it from rags into a treasure.

To put it bluntly, if the cloak were destroyed, it would be more painful for Yelena than if she herself were seriously injured.

But you can't blame her for this!

Talulah felt a chill run down her spine and a sense of grievance.

Flames are something she can't control!

Although her Originium Arts do involve manipulating flames, even Draco couldn't completely control every part of a flame, let alone take into account even the smallest spark. That's simply impossible!

Who would have thought that a spark would drift in that direction?

As Yelena's aura grew stronger and stronger and the surrounding temperature dropped, Talulah became numb and even unconsciously raised her arms in a gesture of surrender.

In fact, if it really came down to it, she might not be afraid of Yelena. Ice and fire are naturally incompatible, and their strengths are roughly equal, basically on par.

But it's pointless!

For infected individuals, large-scale use of Originium Arts means the loss of life, which is no joke!

How can such power be used in a mere sparring match?

In the midst of the panic, the anxious dragon girl had a sudden flash of inspiration and thought of a good idea. She quickly shouted, "I will fix it for you! I swear! I will fix it for you myself!"

A cloak is nothing special.

What is truly precious is the sincere emotion entrusted to it; some wounds can only be healed with the same emotion.

Talulah knew that her position in Yelena's heart was definitely not as high as that of the Yetis, but they were still good friends, right?

If she breaks something, then she should fix it herself. Shouldn't that be enough of a show of sincerity?

"..."

Her response was a long silence.

Yelena didn't say anything, but her thoughts were already expressed through her actions.

On the icy plains, a cold wind blows, and the lingering warmth of the flames completely dissipates, along with the ice crystals that stretched from the earth.

Without the support of Originium magic, the solid ice structure collapsed like a fragile sand dune, leaving behind fragments everywhere.

Holding the folded cloak, Yelena's face was icy cold and expressionless.

Okay... she's like this all the time.

Even the most astute businessmen and politicians cannot read anyone's thoughts from a blank face, let alone Talulah, who is not a psychology expert and therefore has no idea what the White Rabbit is thinking.

However, judging from the surroundings and the gradually dissipating magical fluctuations, it seems we've managed to get away with it this time.

The dragon girl was filled with trepidation, but she hurriedly ran over, even throwing her own greatsword aside, and said with a fawning smile, "I will definitely mend it! I'll mend it tonight! I promise!"

"You'd better keep your word."

Normally... although Yelena's personality is a bit cold due to Originium Arts and Oripathy, she wouldn't speak like that.

Unfortunately, she wasn't in a good mood today, and the fact that her beloved cloak had a hole burned in it only made her irritable mood worse.

The white rabbit brushed the dust off its cloak, looking somewhat absent-minded.

The things I wanted to do, I didn't get done.

In this situation, it's impossible to continue fighting. If we continue, Talulah, feeling guilty, might deliberately hold back and get hit a few times, which would be pointless.

but……

Ok? !

In an instant, the white rabbit's eyes sharpened, and the ice crystals that had subsided with the Originium Arts rose again, all pointing towards a certain direction in the darkness.

"Can you feel it, Talulah?"

"Ah."

Talulah picked up the greatsword that had been lying on the ground, gripped it tightly in her hand, nodded slightly, and took a deep breath, as if sparks were flying in the air again.

Without anyone else speaking, she could clearly sense the malice rapidly approaching from afar.

It wasn't that her magic could sense the presence of malice, but rather... that undisguised evil was as conspicuous to the sorcerer as a dark cloud suddenly appearing on a sunny day.

Moreover...it blots out the sky.

Is it an enemy? A powerful figure in the Ursus army? Or...?

No! That thing can't even be called human! It's a collection of malice!

The sheer presence of that tangled darkness and distortion is enough to evoke a sense of disgust.

Under the watchful eyes of the dragon and the rabbit, the desolate ice plain seemed to be tinged with a profound stillness.

As night deepened, heavy footsteps pounded on the snow, and the faint moonlight outlined the monster in the darkness.

A jet-black coat emerged from the darkness, a respirator-like mask covered the face, and thick metal tubes extended from the mask toward the back of the head.

Without any insignia or distinguishable design, the only way to identify the visitor was by the blade hanging at his waist—Ursus's military knife.

"Daughter of Kosiché, heir to the dukedom."

A hoarse voice came from under the mask. The person stopped a few dozen meters away, bowed slightly, and showed full respect.

Respectful yet blatantly arrogant.

He bowed to Talulah, and all he saw was Talulah; Yelena was completely ignored, as if the white rabbit wasn't worthy of his attention.

"who are you?"

Searching her memory, Talulah couldn't recall who this person was or where they came from. She was certain she had never encountered anything like it before.

"you do not need to know."

Although his actions showed respect, his words were anything but polite.

With a metallic scraping sound, the military knife hanging at the waist was pulled out, and darkness spread out.

The pressure is overwhelming.

This thing that looks like a human is so strong it's like a monster!

Talulah's knuckles were white as she gripped the sword hilt, and firelight flickered in her eyes.

This was the first time she had encountered such a powerful monster; it felt almost comparable to that old man.

Is he from the Ursus military? What is his purpose?

To be honest, Talulah didn't think the Reunion Movement was worth the effort of such a powerful figure.

So, you've come to see her?

In a flash, the girl from Draco quietly grasped Yelena's hand. The scorching heat even made the white rabbit, who hadn't felt warmth in a long time, feel a little cozy.

"Yelena, get out of here. I'll hold him off."

"Leave? What nonsense are you talking about?"

Yelena's answer was a colder, sharper icicle.

The white rabbit pursed her lips, and the magical fluctuations within her body suddenly surged to a terrifying level. Four enormous gray-black ice crystals condensed behind her, almost freezing the air itself.

She knew what Talulah was thinking, but that didn't mean she had to do it.

Block it? Block it with what?

Faced with such an enemy, if she leaves, Talulah might not even last a minute!

"Not bad courage."

Faced with the gradually brewing destructive Originium Arts, the man in the black coat nodded slightly, seemingly indicating his approval.

Then, he took a step forward, and the invisible domain moved with him, a darkness deeper than the night enveloped him, swallowing the suspended ice.

Clap clap clap!

A series of ice crystals crashed to the ground, signifying that the Originium Arts that powered them had become ineffective.

call!

Flames surged on the longsword. Yelena did not leave, nor did Talulah continue speaking.

Because... even if you wanted to leave now, you might not necessarily be able to escape.

Unknown magic, eerie distortions and darkness—Talulah didn't know why this thing had come here, but she knew that if they didn't defeat it, they wouldn't be able to escape.

Moreover, she can't leave.

Behind her was the Reunion Movement's camp; she had no choice but to face the enemy here, as there was no other option but to retreat.

Then let's fight!

Flames swirled and danced in the wind, the scorching air whipping up sweltering waves. But even faster than the flames came a streak of dark light that pierced the sky.

Woo——!

A sharp wail, as if the wind were mourning.